Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes gives new life to the franchise (preview)

I wasn’t expecting much from Traveller’s Tales latest Lego game. Over the years, the developer hit a rut creatively. The team refined, refined, refined its solid team-based gameplay through Star Wars franchise, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter andPirates of the Caribbean. The first few games were good, but after so many sequels and iterations, the formula grew stale.

I anticipated more of the same from Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes, and it started off that way. The Caped Crusader and Robin team up to fight the Joker who has invaded Gotham’s Man of the Year award show. The Dynamic Duo crashed through the theater via the Batboat and they’re off battling henchmen in the frachise’s simple beat-’em up style.

You can play as Batman, Robin, Superman and other super heroes.

THEY NOW HAVE VOICES: Although they didn’t show it, Traveller’s Tales says DC Super Heroes will feature voice acting for the first time. There won’t be any more pantomiming dialogue and that may diminish the franchise’s charm. I was partial to the quirky humor that can translate across any language. But with spoken dialogue, the series can now create better narratives that will need to encompass several heroes and villains.

As for the gameplay and level design, Traveller’s Tales has been so consistently good that I often forget how clever it is. Players will continue switching between Batman and Robin and use powers gained by suits to open pathways for each other. In the level I saw, the fight at the Man of the Year award led to a chase down the sewer. Surprisingly, there was a midlevel save. The stages are going to be long and those help.

The Joker is again running rampant through Gotham. There’s also a Harley Quinn sighting.

SOLID LEVEL DESIGN: What I liked about the level is the two-tiered approach. It was basically lone linear course, but it was split between top and bottom. Batman fought his way across the top and getting past security cameras with a Sensor Suit that turns him invisible. It can also see through walls. He opened doors on the watery bottom half so that a submerged Robin in a Hazmat Suit could progress. In addition to surviving under water, the Boy Wonder in his suit could grab water and put out fires. Killer Croc even makes an appearance as an obstacle blocking their way. Players have to find a way to distract him to get through.

I was about to write off DC Super Heroes as another solid but unremarkable Lego game until I saw Superman. Traveller’s Tales introduced him in a redone Batcave. He flew through the air, something that I’ve seen before in Harry Potter. But then, the Man of Steel flew into the background and out of the base.

Yes Batman and Robin are cool, but Superman may be the best part of this game.

A MOSTLY FULL-POWERED SUPERMAN: He soared, climbing in the air. I couldn’t believe this. The camera panned out showing a small Lego figure against a sprawling Gotham. It’s then realized that DC Super Heroes is going to be an open-world Lego game. I was stunned. The city that Traveller’s Tales envisions is elegant with a sense of humor — monolithic skyscrappers held up by massive statues of Lego men.

On the ground, players can hop into cars and drive off, causing havoc. With certain characters and suits, they can climb walls and access areas that even Superman can’t get to. Parts of this open world are cordoned off with these puzzles In this Lego world, the Man of Steel isn’t all powerful. He is susceptible to kryptonite and electricity, which creates barriers that he can’t cross. Fortunately, Batman has an Electricity Suit that lets him venture into those places. It’s Traveller’s Tales balances the game.

Yes, Superman has all of his powers including heat vision.

OVERLAPPING POWERS: Nevertheless, Superman can still fly and he does have most of his powers. I saw him use his laser eye beams to blow up part of statue and grab a gold brick. Elsewhere, he can use his ice breath to freeze water. With a character as powerful as Kal-El, his powers do overlap with things like Robin’s Hazmat Suit. Supes can blow out blazes while the Boy Wonder can snuff them out with water. This creates multiple solutions for some puzzles and adds some flexibility to the design.

The concept of an open-world Lego game unlocks a treasure trove of opportunity for the series. It breaks new ground. I want to fly the Batplane around Gotham or drive the Batmobile through its streets. It’s a fantasy come true and the fact that Traveller’s Tales does it gorgeously with filters and weather effects means that Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes may be the best title in the series since the original. Look for it this summer.